It is well known to provide strain relief mechanisms for cable termination assemblies and the like. Conventional strain relief mechanisms for cable termination assemblies that include an electrical cable and a cable termination (connector or the like) have been used in the past to prevent or to reduce applying stress to the junctions of contacts and cable conductors, which are respectively coupled to each other, when a force is applied in such a manner that tends to separate the cable from the cable termination. Some strain relief mechanisms tend to prevent or to reduce stress applied to such junctions also in the situation that angular relative movement of the cable and cable termination occurs, e.g. the cable being flexed relative to the generally elongate axis thereof at or proximate the cable termination or where the cable exits the cable termination.
One form of strain relief mechanism includes the forming of openings through the cable and molding a strain relief body to the cable and to the cable termination to form an integral structure thereof such that at least some of the molding material enters such openings in the cable and tends to lock the same in place relative to the subsequently solidified molding material and the cable termination. Another form of strain relief mechanism is a curved surface at the place in a molded strain relief body of a cable termination assembly that the cable exits the cable termination; such curved surface tends to distribute forces as the cable is flexed and/or is pulled to minimize stress applied to the mentioned junctions. The foregoing are examples of the various types of strain relief mechanisms used in the past and currently, as well.
It has been found that cable termination assemblies may too often encounter breaking of one or more of the cable conductors when the cable is flexed relative to itself or relative to the cable termination, e.g. where the cable exits the cable termination at too great an extent, too many times and/or at too sharp an angle. Another relatively recent experience with the advent of coaxial cables, especially multiconductor ribbon coaxial cables, in addition to the possible breakage of a conductor, is the loss of accurate control of cable impedance due to flexing of the cable, especially at a relatively sharp angle, that damages the insulation between the coaxial conductors. Accordingly, it would be desirable to avoid damage to a cable and/or to the junctions of the conductors thereof with contacts, circuits, etc., regardless of whether of the coaxial or other type when such flexing or the like is encountered.
A card edge connector is an electrical connector used to connect with the conductive printed circuit traces that terminate proximate the edge of a printed circuit board or the like. Typically a card edge connector has plural resilient contacts to connect with such traces and to couple the same to other printed circuit traces on another printed circuit board, e.g. in a mother board/daughter board arrangement, or to the conductors of an electrical cable, and so on. Sometimes the stress and other problems encountered in a cable termination assembly also can be encountered in a card edge connector/printed circuit board assembly, especially when it is desired to maintain a secure, relatively permanent connection of the printed circuit board and contacts of the card edge connector. It would, of course, be desirable to minimize such problems in such devices.